Taming the Obsessive Attachment

“Suddenly collapsing like that gave me quite a scare. You haven’t even received proper guiding yet… Are you naturally weak or something?”

Without giving him even a moment to think, a large hand boldly slipped between his legs.

Seo Eui-woo casually groped inside Kwon Jae-jin’s boxer briefs, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. If this had been the Jae-jin from his first life, he would have immediately turned pale, recoiled in disgust, and kicked him away.

Back then, he had thought he was being dragged to an unfamiliar place and assaulted against his will. Which, to be fair, wasn’t entirely wrong.

However, in his second life, Seo Eui-woo’s home was an all-too-familiar place, and sudden guiding demands like this were nothing new.

By now, situations like this were practically routine for Kwon Jae-jin.

There was no reason to make a fuss about it now.

“…Hey, Seo Eui-woo.”

Clicking his tongue internally, Jae-jin spoke. His chest felt a little warm.

“What?”

“I’m just asking out of curiosity… Do you remember me?”

“Have we met before? If we had, there’s no way I would have let you slip away…”

“So you don’t. Well, never mind, then.”

As expected, Seo Eui-woo had no idea. His clear gray eyes stared back at him, completely untroubled, without the slightest hint of familiarity.

Looking into those eyes quietly, Jae-jin felt the heat in his chest intensify slightly, as if something heavy and obstructive was settling inside him.

‘So I’m the only one who went back. Tch.’

Maybe it was for the best. If Seo Eui-woo hadn’t returned, that meant…

‘I was the only one who got caught in that gate and died.’

The only person who had regressed was Kwon Jae-jin.

The only person who would die four years from now was also Kwon Jae-jin.

‘I can’t be certain, but most likely, when the gate manifested, space-time momentarily distorted. And because I got sucked into it, I ended up reversing through time…’

It had already been a century since the first Gate Impact occurred, unleashing countless creatures in monstrous forms. Thanks to the existence of Espers and Guides, human society had managed to regain stability, but even now, gates remained an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon.

Research on the subject was actively ongoing, with various hypotheses and theories proposed, but none had been definitively proven. Humanity had far more unanswered questions about the gates than answers.

Most of the information remained unknown, and as a former ordinary civilian, Kwon Jae-jin knew even less. If even Awakeners were clueless, there was no way an unawakened, mutant anomaly like him would have any insight.

‘Well, there’s no need to obsess over why I regressed. I won’t find an answer no matter how much I think about it. What’s more important is what happens four years from now.’

Four years later. A gate was destined to open right here, in the courtyard of Seo Eui-woo’s mansion.

And Kwon Jae-jin being caught in that gate, torn limb from limb, and dying—that, too, was a predetermined future.

If he didn’t get out of this house before then, he would die.

In his first life, by some miracle, he had been sucked into a space-time distortion and sent back to the past. But there was no guarantee that would happen again in this second life. That meant he had to avoid the gate at all costs.

‘It was already unfair to die once at such a young age. There’s no fucking way I’m dying twice.’

Whether he ran away from this house alone or convinced Seo Eui-woo to relocate with him, he had to do something—anything.

If there was a way to avoid death, he would take it.

In that sense, this regression was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

‘I refuse to live another doomed life…!’

No matter what it took, by any means necessary, he would survive this time. And this time, he would finally—finally—seize the life he deserved.

He would indulge in every pleasure the world had to offer, experience all the luxuries and joys, spend absurd amounts of money like water, and savor every exquisite delicacy. Then, he would live to a hundred, enjoy a long and prosperous life, and die peacefully in a quiet mountain cabin, drifting off like he was simply falling asleep.

To do that, first and foremost—

‘I need Seo Eui-woo’s cooperation.’

Kwon Jae-jin knew. Seo Eui-woo was an S-rank Esper.

S-rank Esper. Back in his first life, he had no idea what those short, simple words truly meant. Now, he knew all too well—enough to make his skin crawl.

Seo Eui-woo was an unparalleled, exceptionally powerful multi-ability user. He could teleport instantly, create clones of himself, and even unconsciously activate his abilities while asleep.

In other words, there was simply… no way to escape him.

Unlike most Espers, who had moments of vulnerability, Seo Eui-woo had none. Even when asleep or unconscious, he could use telekinesis and track Jae-jin’s movements with ease. He was an absurdly overpowered monster.

And this mansion—this entire estate—was his absolute domain.

From the moment Kwon Jae-jin set foot inside, he had been trapped in the palm of Seo Eui-woo’s hand. No matter what he tried, escape was impossible. He could struggle all he wanted, but unless Seo Eui-woo allowed it, he would never be able to leave.

‘That said, this isn’t my first time going through this. It’s not like I’m about to start despairing now.’

If rejecting Seo Eui-woo wasn’t an option, then all he had to do was get him on his side.

And that wasn’t particularly difficult.

‘That bastard Seo Eui-woo… Whatever his reasons, he was pretty damn obsessed with me.’

In his first life, it had taken four years for them to become lovers.

So, in this second life, just how long would it take?

‘I did hear him ask me out in the third year.’

Back then, the moment Seo Eui-woo had suggested they date, Kwon Jae-jin had immediately turned him down without hesitation. But if he simply accepted this time, they could probably become a couple in just three years.

‘No, if I don’t resist guiding and wage a full-out war against him like last time, there’s no reason to drag it out for three whole years.’

If Kwon Jae-jin obediently went along with the guiding, he could save himself three years of wasted effort.

That way, it would take about a year—maybe even less—to teach Seo Eui-woo his position and persuade him. They could establish a cooperative relationship much sooner.

Everything depended on how well Jae-jin could coax and tame Seo Eui-woo.

A challenge he couldn’t possibly fail. A game where the winner had already been decided.

‘After all, Seo Eui-woo needs me.’

For an Esper, a Guide was an absolute necessity.

And the stronger the Esper, the more they relied on guiding.

The sheer power they wielded left massive aftershocks in their bodies, making them desperately crave the balance that guiding could provide.

Seo Eui-woo needed Kwon Jae-jin.

And Kwon Jae-jin needed Seo Eui-woo.

In his first life, Jae-jin hadn’t particularly needed Seo Eui-woo.

But in this second life, he did.

To survive.

‘…Then isn’t the conversation already over?’

Jae-jin swallowed dryly. His fingers twitched slightly before he clenched his fist tightly, as if gripping onto something to steady himself.

No problem.

He could already see the future unfolding before him.

Unlike last time, when he had been utterly helpless, this time, he could easily manipulate Seo Eui-woo.

He knew how Seo Eui-woo thought. He knew exactly what to say and do to control him. If he dangled guiding as bait, Seo Eui-woo would—

Seo Eui-woo was just a simple—

“…Uh!”

His thoughts were cut off by an unwelcome intrusion. A foreign sensation spread from his rear.

At some point, Seo Eui-woo had pulled down his boxer briefs and was now spreading him open, pressing a slick finger against his inner walls.

It dug in deep, parting his insides at its own pace. Jae-jin’s knee jerked upward in response.

‘What… the hell…?’

His brows furrowed.

Even though it was just one finger, his entire body reacted in rejection, going rigid. His eyes flew open wide, his legs instinctively curled inward, and every muscle below tensed up, clenching shut with resistance.

‘It hurts…?’

His body tensed up on its own.

Even though he had gone through guiding countless times in his first life, this was his first experience with it in his second. It was like learning how to swim in theory but sinking the moment he actually entered the water.

No matter how mentally prepared he was, no matter how firmly he had resolved to accept guiding, his body refused to cooperate.

“This… Are you doing this on purpose? That’s harsh.”

Seo Eui-woo curled his fingers, forcing apart the stiff flesh inside. It wasn’t going in easily, yet he kept pushing, making the dull pain even worse. Jae-jin quickly tried to stop him.

“Wait, Seo Eui-woo. Hold on a moment.”

Of course, Seo Eui-woo didn’t stop.

Instead, he used his other hand to spread Jae-jin’s cheeks apart even wider, then tried to shove in his middle finger as well.

“Ahck!”

Fuck.

Right. Of course.

Seo Eui-woo was that kind of bastard.

The type to cling to him at every opportunity, groping, licking, and shoving his dick in without a second thought—without even considering Jae-jin’s circumstances. The type who acted as if guiding was purely the Guide’s obligation, so no matter how forceful he was, he never thought he was doing anything wrong.

Faced with a more difficult situation than expected, Jae-jin felt his ears heat up slightly with frustration. But that didn’t mean he could afford to back down so easily.

Jae-jin grabbed Seo Eui-woo’s wrist, stopping his hand from digging in any further.